Always a shock when a current ballplayer dies. So, another young pitcher, Nick Adenhart, lost his life in an auto accident. Here's how Vin Scully talked about it on the Dodger broadcast, and, you know, he's right:

"If I may speak for every member of the Dodger organization, our heartfelt and deepest sympathies to the mother and family of Nick Adenhart, and to every member in the Angels organization, for the untimely accident and death of young Nick last night at the tender age of twenty-two. Nick, from Maryland, had pitched six scoreless innings and was in a car with three friends, and a driver apparently went through a red light and T-boned the car, killing three of the four, including Nick, and one other member is in critical condition. And if there is one thing I’ve learned in all my years — and I haven’t learned much — but the one thing I’ve learned: Don’t even waste your time trying to figure out life.

Ground ball through for Andre Ethier, and life continues for those who still have it. And with a leadoff single, Russell Martin will be coming up.

But I would say, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a moment and say a prayer in memory for Nick, especially for his parents. What a shock to lose a twenty-two-year-old."

Amen.

Meal of Links

Seder for dogs.

My ERA is 81 runs less than Carl Pavano. Rumor has it, he didn't even hit 85 on the gun. Eric Wedge to mention "Grinders" in 5...4...3...2...1.

GM can still advertise in Comerica Park for free. The Tigers owner says, "Why not?".

Hitch vs. Ken Blackwell...Guess Who Wins



Jan leaves "The Office". I love boxing, so I'll have to watch this new show on Fx, "Lights Out". She will star as the (ahem, pediatric, no less) orthopedic surgeon wife of an ex-heavyweight champ.

Exercise Yard

Miami won its first game at the Frozen Four and meets Boston U. for the national championship of hockey. The boys played a really good defensive game and absolutely smothered Bemidji State. And while on Easter Bunny watch, I'll be viewing.

Visitor

30 Down: Southfork surname (5 letters) Answer: Ewing

I kinda like how the sports calendar keeps throwing things my way. Just completed March Madness, which meant watching the Final Four. Then Opening Day happens next. Then the Masters starts. Then Miami is in the Frozen Four for Thursday. Then I get to attend the Home Opener for the Indians.

Then the Easter Bunny shows up.

Meal of Links

Dylan on Obama. It seems that he likes him.

Kenny Fucking Powers is back. "Eastbound and Down" gets renewed.

Roger Ebert counsels Bill O'Reilly. I give it two thumbs up.

Happy Birthday, Internets! Watch Iconic Videos to celebrate.

The Top 25 Fictional Ads in Sci-Fi Movies. Some of the "Robocop" ones are present.

Check out Philip Glass. This doc is on PBS tonight.

"Parks and Recreation" starts tomorrow. Rashida Jones talks about her role.

The death of newspapers. In pictures!

Marines forced Saddam Hussein to watch the "South Park" movie. That makes me laugh.

It costs $5.75 for Cracker Jack at Yankee Stadium. They need a Marc's.

Exercise Yard

The Mets hate Little Leaguers. I'm curious if the Tribe still allows parades before the games.

Visitor

69 Across: Media mogul Turner (3 letters) Answer: Ted

Since I'll be at Opening Day in Cleveland on Friday (yeah, it's Good Friday...no hot dogs), it's time to look at the Tribe's chances for 2009. Last year, if you recall, I was pretty close in my analysis of the club but picked them for 89 wins and no playoffs, despite all of their shortcomings. They only won 81 in 2008.

Well, how bout it, what about this year?

The biggest challenge probably comes from Tom Hamilton's favorite team, the White Sox and of course, the Twins. I think Kansas City and Detroit will be better this season, so I don't see anyone really cleaning up in the division. But it may be only 10 games separating first from last here.

But every club in the Central has issues. The Twins need Joe Mauer and Scott Baker to be healthy. Chicago needs starting pitching. My God, they are counting on Bartolo Colon. But their bullpen is the best in the division, those starters may need to go only 6 innings. Detroit needs Justin Verlander to be better, as well as their bullpen. The Royals were picked by the USA Today guy to win the division. Quick, name 5 Royals or even their manager (Hah, Trey Hillman).

Let's start with the two players who are on the team only because of their contracts, Masa Kobayashi and David Delucci. The Indians are not shy about admitting mistakes early in the season (typically 40 games), especially if they are in the last or only year of their contracts. Look it up. Brady Anderson, Jason Johnson, even Joe Borowski were let go with some financial commitment remaining. Delucci starts the season on the disabled list. If his replacement, Trevor Crowe, gets a few at-bats and produces, Delucci will have a short timeframe to produce. Admit it, the Indians were sold a bill of goods on Kobayashi. Hyped as a "potential closer", this guy ran out of gas by August 1. In fact, he was terrible. If the Tribe gets off to anything resembling a decent start and he's ineffective, I see him gone by the All-Star break, if not sooner.

Outfield: Grady Sizemore is in center. Every stat whiz says Eric Wedge was correct when he said "hitting .300 isn't that big a deal". So, maybe we are happy with our .270 hitting superstar. Hell, Terry Pluto predicted him for MVP this year. To do that, he'll have to overcome what I really think are his core weaknesses, his .169 Late Inning Pressure average and .205 average from the seventh inning on.

Is it safe to say, question marks at both corners? Ben Francisco did alright, but tailed off late last year. Is Shin-Soo Choo really that good or is he "The Asian Trot Nixon"? I'd love to see Choo make it, he really surprised me last year. This is Francisco's big shot to find out what he can do. Any regression and he's done as a future Indian. As I said, a big chance for Crowe. Will be sent down upon Delucci's return, but could be back quickly if/when Delucci fails. Don't forget, Mark DeRosa and Ryan Garko will also get some PT in the outfield.

Infield: The Indians should be OK up the middle this year. I hope Asdrubal Cabrera shows the stick he showed late last year, we know he has the glove and hopefully, a new necklace this season. Jhonny Peralta still remains the "Most Disappointing Indian In The Fans' Eyes Who Actually Produces Every Year." At third is newcomer Mark DeRosa. DeRosa, easily the most popular Cub the last two years, will fill that role for the Indians. We are actually lucky to have him. Will easily surpass the Casey Blake role on and off the field. At first, we will have mainly Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko. I like Victor, but he has to show more power than he did last season. Remember, he hit only 2 homers and 17 doubles last season. We need him to regain his previous form. Ryan Garko, he of 90 RBIs last season, will get some DH/Outfield/First Base time. The elf, Jamey Carroll, backs up everyone in the infield. Josh Barfield, the light-hitting wonder, will play both infield and outfield, but probably will lead the team in least at-bats.

This is probably as good a time to talk about all of the maneuverability Eric Wedge has this season. I sense this is a bad thing. Because, in his mind, everyone is capable at several positions, I bet we will see an outfield of Barfield, Sizemore and Garko at some time this season. We'll see more pinch runners replacing better hitters, then the game will remained tied and we'll see Josh Barfield in the cleanup spot, come the 11th inning. Trust me when I tell ya, this will cost us a game early in the season.

That leaves Travis Hafner as DH. Omigod, this could be a disaster. I'm afraid the 40 homer, 120 RBI seasons are a thing of the past. So, what would be acceptable for a guy with the largest contract in Indians history? First of all, get that BB/K ratio back to the glory days. But listen, 20 homers and 75 RBI won't cut it for what we pay him. Garko can do that at a much cheaper pay rate. Will probably be the most talked about Indian this season, reagrdless of his production.

Starting Pitching: Not the team's strength. We need a combined 35 wins out of Fausto Carmona and Cliff Lee to have any chance. Lee had a terrible spring. Carmona seemed to regain some of his better form. No way Lee matches what he did last year. If he does, he is a bonafide star we lose when his contract is up. A rebound year by Carmona may offset a slight decline by Lee. After that, it's a tossup. Carl Pavano has been hurt for about 4 years and can you count on the guy at #3? Seriously, if you get 10 wins from him, Mark Shapiro is a god. Both Anthony Reyes at #4 and Scott Lewis at #5 threw well late last season when it didn't matter. I expect more from Reyes than Lewis. After Lewis was named a starter this spring, he started giving up gopher balls. Lewis was 4-0 in September last season, but even Scott Elarton was 5-0 in September several years ago, but it counted when he did it. Of course, on the farm, we have semi-failures Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey in waiting.

Bullpen: I actually see some hope here. Kerry Wood is a big-time closer. I am not fearful of his injured past. Well, actually I am, but I do think he'll be fine. He was on the DL once last year and it was not arm-related. He was an excellent pickup. I am not a fan of Jensen Lewis, but I do realize he was pretty good down the stretch last season. Again, when it meant nothing. Early on, he sucked. I do like Rafael Perez. He'll never equal his 2007 season, but he was pretty tough from June on last year. Rafael Betancourt? Jeezy creezy, he was worse than Kobayashi for about 90% of last year. If he is 50% as bad as last year, that will be a major improvement. I am not familiar with Joe Smith's work. Well, I am, but that was Cavalier Joe Smith, not this guy. The type of guy the Indians will open up the stat book on, in case he fails early. I'll point that out when it happens. The other reliever is Zach Jackson. Yawn.

Catcher: Very disappointed the Indians did not move Kelly Shoppach in the offseason, as his value was at its peak. Because this is the year he will be exposed for what he has become. His numbers throwing out runners have been declining and he whiffs way too much. Really his strikeout rate is alarming. I think we will see a lot more Victor Martinez behind the plate than originally planned.

In an off season where the Indians added two Cubs, Wood and DeRosa, I am predicting 88 wins this year and October baseball. I think in a tight race, they will make it in. But they just as easily could finish third again.

Here is what the Beacon thinks.

Meal of Links

Michael Bay Eating Breakfast



Humor makes you funnier and sexier. Plus, why do we swear? Pretty goddamn long articles, but fuckin' worth the time.

Here are the worst drive-thru foods in America. There actually is a good tip in there. Whopper Jr. sans mayo is 290 calories instead of the BK Chick-N-Crisp which is the worst value meal item.

To save some clicks, other horror shows: Arby’s Roast Beef and Swiss Market Fresh Sandwich, Dairy Queen 6-Piece Chicken Strip Basket, Arby’s Large Mozzarella Sticks (same fat as a Triple Whopper), McDonald's Large Triple Thick Chocolate Milkshake, Arby's Roast Turkey and Swiss Market Fresh Sandwich.

Special mention to the worst-value meal: Carl’s Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger
with Medium Natural Cut Fries and 32 oz Coke. This meal has the caloric equivalent of 13 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts; the saturated fat equivalent of 52 strips of bacon; and the salt equivalent of seven and a half large orders of McDonald’s French fries! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Cincinnati woman needs a man for manly duties. As Ron Burgundy says, "It's science."

Andy Kaufman Visits Dave...in the a.m.



Exercise Yard

If you thought the Browns had a terrible season...Randy Lerner's Other Team is trying to save itself from total collapse. Today, another win tossed aside late. Aston Villa loses to ManU, 3-2. As a 17-year old knocks in the game winner.

In other soccer news, Fox Soccer Channel picked up the Champions League for three years, starting in 2009-10. ESPN has handled that for a while. FSC will show two live games and three taped per week. The Fox Sports Nets get a live Tuesday game. FSC will probably use the announcers from the international feed and also have pre and postgame shows and a daily wrapup show. The final moves to Saturday in 2010 (World Cup next year, too) and will be on Fx. BTW, FSC plans to launch HD by the end of the year. We'll see if Time Warner wakes up and gets it.

Overall, I think that's good news because it keeps FSC in the game. Because I sense ESPN is tossing aside the Champions League to take a crack at the EPL.

Lastly, Setanta is apparently going to be launched nationally on Comcast. However, "they are still working on" Time Warner. Which means probably never.

Visitor

None, winter is calling!

Finally took care of some technical issues around here. It really was the Tale of Two Technical Support Teams. The first was Time Warner Cable. For some reason, I stopped getting e-mails earlier in the week, but was still receiving them on my Blackberry. So, I dialed up the Time Warner Cable staff. Basically, I had to change my POP and SMTP addresses, because each time I was logging onto e-mail, I had to enter a User Name and Password. Hell, I had no idea what my password was. Only to find out from them it was a 16-character string of gibberish. When the person tells you they can't tell if a character is a "zero" or an "O", you know you're in trouble. Anyhow, they supplied me with those new addresses.

Well, that didn't work. Then I used the Web-based mail as they gave me a new password and voila! I was receiving my e-mails once again. But not on my Blackberry. BTW, 35 minutes to figure that out via Time Warner.

So, on to AT&T because I could not validate my e-mail to get the Blackberry running again. I was instructed to log on to the web-based e-mail after my new password from Time Warner was not working. Thinking I mistyped or something. Guess what? They sent me a password and it was completely different than what they told me the previous day. With that new password I went to the AT&T site and it validated my e-mail. Total time with AT&T: 5 minutes.

But I was still receiving the error message when grabbing my messages via Time Warner. The problem? They didn't tell me to use the new POP and SMTP as my Default and it was still checking both new and old. After I deleted the Old and made the New my Default. I then got every e-mail I was sent in the last 7 months. Again. So, I had to clean that box.

I guess Time Warner was OK, but it's as if they only got things 75% right. I mean, no excuse for changing passwords on me nor forgetting to tell me to make the new addresses the default. AT&T, as always, right on the ball for me.

Meal of Links

Last night, I was in the mood for some mindless entertainment, so I went to see "12 Rounds". Oy vey. Renny Harlin (remember him?) actually directed this. It starred Aidan Gillen as the villain. Gillen was the mayor in "The Wire" and actually did a good job in this, given the material. The lead was John Cena, the wrestler, as a Nawlins cop. It's sad that I like his acting in the ring better than his acting on screen, which was almost lifelike. OK, no one will see this and when you see the ads for the DVD in about two months, you'll say, "Oh, I vaguely remember something about that." New Orleans, on one hand has "Benjamin Button" filmed there, on the other, "12 Rounds".

It's not that it was "walk out" bad, but it was "stupid" bad, and you really did wanna stick around for the end. Cena has to cutoff a car at a bridge in the opening sequence. Is it a car chase? Of course not, did I mention this is a WWE Studios production? So, Cena outruns the car, which takes the most indirect route for an escape ever recorded on film. Meanwhile, Cena is running through backyards, down alleys, through a house (a la "Raising Arizona") and eventually stops the car. Gillen's girlfriend, who was driving, gets out of the car and tries to make a run for it, then gets splattered by a truck. Gillen, an alleged arms dealer and wanted by the FBI, vows revenge after Cena arrests him.

Exactly one year later, Gillen shows up in the Big Easy once more, after escaping from a Florida prison. One thing you will notice about this movie. Security is awfully lax in this time of the "Axis of Evil". Anyhow, Gillen forces Cena to go through "12 Rounds" after which a winner will be declared. Thank God this is not 1979 or I would have had to sit through "15 Rounds". To show where this is headed, Gillen calls Cena and then blows up his house, killing his plumber (who offered marital advice to Cena before his demise) and we're off and running again. Literally, as Cena tries to outrun a ferry. You see, Gillen is about to kidnap Cena's wife and Cena tries to stop it. He fails and we are onto Round 3.

Needless to say, the action sequences could have been better as Cena is put up to these tasks by Gillen, in an effort to beat the clock and move on to the next round. You have Cena driving fire trucks, rappelling down buildings, outrunning out-of-control streetcars at 35 mph, leaping off roofs onto helicopters. I have to mention the climactic helicopter scene where Gillen has forced Cena's wife to help him load body bags of money he stole from a division of the US Mint into the copter. I told you security was lax and plot be damned! Gillen has used Cena to this point to help set up the robbery and escape.

You may wonder why Cena's wife then? You see, she works at the hospital. It's mentioned early on, she has a night shift. You're thinking nurse, right? Not so fast, my friend. She flies the hospital emergency helicopter! Of course (smacking forehead), that's how Gillen can use her to escape...by flying the copter into the night. She stalls just enough to allow Cena onboard as an unwanted passenger and perform the eventual closing stunt of the movie. Well, I did seek mindless entertainment.

It was no wonder why only 8 were in attendance. Trailers were: "Dragonball: Revolution", "Crank 2 High Voltage", "Terminator Salvation", the "Black Guy Ritchie" film, "Next Day Air", and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".

Speaking of trailers, the trailer for "Bruno" is out. Oh yeah, this looks good. Already has the NC-17 tag. More importantly, long-lost Richard Bey still has a show. At least I think so, according to the trailer.

Worst "Jeopardy" answer ever. Even if trying to be funny, he's not.

Steven Bach died earlier this week. His book, "The Final Cut" remains one of the best books about movie studios ever written. I still have that around here somewhere.

Neil Young loves his eco-car. He wants it to get 100 miles a gallon.

The new Hulu commercial with Seth MacFarlane makes me wonder. Does he go into these other voices at inopportune times?



Remember where Andy Dufresne met up with Red in Mexico at the end of "Shawshank". Um, they have drug wars there.

Guy steals TV. Rides a bike to and from crime scene. Someone takes a photo. He's arrested.

Another Palin relative is arrested. Looks like the law is rearing their head.

Exercise Yard

Hey it's Easter soon. How about this for a service? Jesus is the Ultimate Fighter, he doesn't tap out.

Visitor

33 Across: Spaghetti western director Sergio (5 letters) Answer: Leone

Not an April's Fool...

Raul Malo

Last night, my brother and I saw Raul Malo. Malo has been someone I have been dying to see for several years, but always had a conflict. Out of town, other plans, etc. He was the singer/songwriter with The Mavericks and has been solo for quite some time. He recently released "Lucky One", his first album of originals in 7 years. Plain fact is nobody has a voice like Raul Malo.

The Venue: The venerable Beachland Ballroom. Of course, this remains one of the best concert settings in town. They had the chairs set up for this one, with standing room along the sides and back. These were the first tickets I bought after the economy tanked, but for a Tuesday night, I thought the crowd was fine. Plus, they have Old Grand-Dad there, so I cannot complain.

Stage Banter:: Malo did not have that much to say. After taking a break after the first five songs or so, someone started to shout out old Mavericks tunes. He replied with a devilish grin, "Don't start that shit. I'm gonna play what I want and you're gonna like it...or not. Either way, I'm gonna play what I wanna want."

He also had two tequila breaks. The final one during a song he stopped in the encore. "Hey, tequila's on stage. Gotta stop. Don't worry, I promise we'll pick up right where we left off. You'll get your money's worth. Salud!" as he and his bandmates downed the shots.

The Tickets: Got the tickets ahead of time for this General Admission show. We grabbed a couple of seats at the end of a row on the left. Once again, no problems.

The Crowd: OK, another one where the crowd was considerably older. And we thought Nick Lowe drew the oldies. Ai-yi-yi! With the band encouraging the crowd to stand up, hardly anyone bit. And as I predicted, when Malo came out for his Encore, the crowd sat back down.

The Sound: The sound was awesome. Even the stand-up bass was coming through with floor-shaking clarity.

The opening act was Northeastern Ohio's own, The Magpies. Our Polka DJ guy handles the keyboards for this outfit. Not sure which one is his alter-ego. But they did a nice job for about 40 minutes or so and had more upbeat music than I thought they played.

The Stage: Malo had the full band effect in play. So, I am intrigued when a horn section shows up. We had horns (who doubled on guitar and keyboard) up front on the left, Malo (not Malcolm) with his guitars in the middle, and keyboards on the right. Drums were rear left, stand-up bass on a riser rear right. And they sounded great.

The Music: Raul Malo played about 90 minutes and grabbed a lot from the new album, but also touched upon some Mavericks tunes as well. As I said earlier, no one sings like this guy. You get the whole package: Jazz, Tejano, Texas Swing, Tradicional, Country, Rockabilly, Blues, Salsa. A terrific display of musical talent from him and his band.

Setlist: (I think)

"Every Little Thing About You"
"Lucky One"
"Dance The Night Away"
"Pretend" (A song Dwight Yoakam was born to cover. Do it, man!)

"Pretend"/Raul Malo



"Ready For My Lovin"
"Haunting Me"
"Lonely Hearts"
"Hello Again"
"So Beautiful" (Game over with regard to his voice on this ballad.)
"One More Angel" which led to...
"Guantanamera" (Yes, that "Guantanamera"!)
(I think I missed one here)

Encore:

"Today" (I thought we were gonna form a conga line to our cars)
"Moonlight Kiss"
"All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down" (The old Mavericks hit.)

"Today"/Raul Malo



Meal of Links

This movie can't help but be good. Franco and McBride together again.

"The Simpsons" try and save the Postal Service. Their stamps were approved.

Stephen Colbert deconstructs Glenn Beck. He comes up with the "10/31 Project". "Circus Peanuts." Hah! "I just love Glenn Beck's sanity. And I fear for it." Hilarious.

How to help yourself avoid carpal tunnel syndrome.

Hulu now has "Nova" programs. Very cool.

Exercise Yard

Citi Field, new home of the Mets, has parfats. Among other delicacies.

Visitor

27 Down: Jazz guitarist Montgomery (3 letters) Answer: Wes

Awkward high-fives, everyone! Tiger Woods is back.



























Boy, it was really easy to watch sports today. The Cavs won, and LeBron ran over a ref and then fell on the court and acted like he was dead.



Then I had a 1-2-4 finish in Fantasy NASCAR.

Then Tom Izzo proved he is a great coach once again. As Michigan State humbled Louisville. Izzo's teams always play tough defense and his teams always rebound well. And he'll play you anywhere, anytime.

Later on, it's dark out and Tiger does his thing. Still the only athlete around who can move the needle. When he's on, people watch. And more often than not, he delivers.



Meal of Links

Stem cells for larger breasts. Hey, now!

How does a gas pump know your tank is full. It's science.

The government forces the CEO of GM to resign. Are we on the hook for that $1 salary or what did we really pay to get rid of him?

Exercise Yard
















Well, the alma mater finally came through. After years of coming up short, Miami finally makes the Frozen Four. And that is pretty cool, as Miami does not compete for many national titles.

Visitor

None, a rainy Sunday.

That was another thrilling episode of Polka Happy Hour at the Happy Dog last night. They have excellent perch and tater tots there. Tots are cool.

This morning, I had the perfect crossword. I always do mine in pen. But, for a Saturday, zero mistakes in not too much time is really good. I usually don't start to do anything until I have that done and today, by God, I knew everything right off the bat. Even the answer "prescience". I know it was relatively easy for a weekend because we had no mythology, no saints, only one Russian composer, and very little geography. But still, I was very pleased.

Then, it was off to see "Knowing", where I counted 6 who attended the 10:30 show at the Regal in Middleburg. Thank you "Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D", that means early morning shows for the rest of us. I thought this was gonna be another chance to see Nicky Cage overact. I think he reined it in on this one. And I didn't recognize anyone else in the movie. But this story morphed from a pedestrian thriller into some otherworldly/religious statement (turn your pages to the Book of Ezekiel) I don't think I was prepared of. Mildly interesting. The lesson, I guess? Either go to church or we are not alone.

Today, there was a birthday party for my niece, who is now 7. We had this exchange the other day:

Niece: "Why does it say "Parma" on your glasses?"
Me: "That's Prada, not Parma." (I wanted to add, "My pretty!" at this point)
Niece: "Yeah, I didn't think anyone would have Parma on their glasses."

And, finally, another choice rerun of "Deal Or No Deal". I tend to stumble upon the CNBC reruns. Classic episode where they talk about how great this guy is, the phrase "life changing amount of money" comes up several times, but the dude is delusional into thinking his case has $500,000. He has slowly eliminated the left half of the board and is down to three cases: $10,000, $75,000 and $500,000. The offer is $129,000 and, of course, he rejects it, citing the number on his case and how lucky it has been for him. Next case he picks has....$500,000 in it. I then laugh my ass off. he must keep the case he has after that whole buildup and his contains....$10,000. I laugh even more.

Meal of Links

Oh, man. The ShamWow! guy slap chopped a hooker. Allegedly.

Why are these foreigners taking all of our TV acting jobs? "Yeah, they're takin' our jobs!"

Kids do the darnedest things.

This guy doesn't like spectator sports. I spectate 'em and I'm not sure I like 'em either.

Words To Live By

Keith David absolutely kills me in the movie, "Men At Work". Charlie Sheen with an appropriate response. The first hour of that movie still makes me laugh hard. Even harder then "Deal Or No Deal".



Exercise Yard

A pretty fair list of the greatest Formula One drivers ever. I think Schumacher, even with his faults, should have been higher. Never took a podium finish for granted, it seemed.

Visitor

44 Across: Speaker in Cooperstown (4 letters) Answer: Tris

OK, brackets are officially done. Seth Davis with the bad news.

Meal of Links

Christopher Walken is on Twitter. Not really. But like him, I am still not on Twitter.

Joe McGinniss writes about Palin's Folly. The Alaska natural gas pipeline. Good stuff. More on Palin's wishy-washy stand on the stimulus package.

Some quotes about the 1999 repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act ring true today. "I think we will look back in 10 years' time and say we should not have done this but we did because we forgot the lessons of the past, and that that which is true in the 1930's is true in 2010." said Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota.

Wonder why the interest rates went up on your credit cards? Ask Sioux Falls!

Virtually everyone reported that new housing sales improved last month. But they didn't.

Penn? Carrey? Del Toro? What epic could this be? "The Three Stooges"? WTF? I can't imagine any of these guys saying, "Look at the grouse!" The real Stooges.

Exercise Yard

Lord Football wants to add two regular season games. I'm all for that. Nothing like paying full fare for games that don't count. However, will the games be held in the division or would they be out of conference games. Methinks they'll add two with some sort of catch, perhaps eliminating the bye week, closer games for travel costs, etc.

Visitor

1 Down: "I Kid You Not" author (4 letters) Answer: Paar

Time to catch up:

It never fails to amaze me when I hear folks actually wanting the PD to close down. the fall of Sheriff McFaul is Exhibit A on how the press is very much needed in this town. OK, it's years late, but the mood is right for more of this.

Joe Klein talks about Populist Rage.

If you find yourself traveling internationally, you can call and text. On the cheap

Last night's Obama presser? He did good.

The Top 10 SNL ads. Recent ones, that is.

2010 Oscars? Back to March. First time since '06.

Matt Groening talks.

Woody Allen writes.

Of course, they lip-synch on "Idol". Blame Janet Jackson.

This is probably it for U2.

Meal of Links

26 great shows that were cancelled quickly. And with "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" out on DVD, it was rightly included in this list.

The New York Dolls are still going and have a new album. Always a good time when one of their records is played.

GM still offers company cars to managers. And pays for gas.

Exercise Yard

Don Banks thinks major changes are coming to the NFL. Capless in 2010 probably leads to lock out in 2011. And that would end my ticket participation.

Visitor

34 Down: 2008 Libertarian presidential candidate (4 letters) Answer: Barr

My brackets are like Obama's bowling, if you catch my drift. Final 4 intact, but not much else happening.

But, lemme say some stuff about Cleveland State's effort today.

The fatal flaw of the Vikings is consistent outside shooting. Oh, did that show up today. But they did have that one run when they cut it to 4 points in the second half and I thought they might overcome that. But, no-o-o-o.

In comparing the two games this weekend, it was obvious that mid-level Horizon League teams played better defense against CSU than Wake. Today, they played a team that actually played defense. Early open looks did not fall for CSU and then Arizona's zone really kicked in. By the time CSU figured it out halfway through the second half and got close, their shooting took another nosedive.

After hitting their first three 3's for a 9-0 lead on Friday, CSU shot only 3-12 the rest of the way on threes. Plus, they allowed Wake to shoot over 50% for the game. Today, Arizona shot 50%.

Today's assist total was (gulp!) three! OK, a function of poor shooting but a lot of their scoring today was guys having to create shots on their own. That Arizona zone defense presented them with many issues.

The two areas that CSU actually did well at Miami were rebounding and turnovers. Today, the deficit was only 3 at 33-30 with CSU doubling Arizona's offensive rebounds, 12-6. Against Arizona, CSU only turned it over 11 times. Against Wake, they trailed in rebounds 33-32 and they only turned it over 6 times. Even points in the paint totals were a wash in both games.

So, it's on to next season! Arizona beats CSU, , concluding a most fun year following the Vikings.

Meal of Links

This may turn out to be a great time for cheaper dining. New dining ideas seem to be the rage.

Most controversial films of all time. Yep, the ones you'd thought would be on here, are on here. (Probably NSFW).

Why advertising is failing on the Internet. I know I rarely click on an ad. Mostly by mistake when it does happen.

Exercise Yard

The NFL is considering moving the timing of the NFL Draft. Well, not only that, but the timing of the entire offseason schedule. Combine, Senior Bowl, Free Agency, etc.

Visitor

None. It's March Madness, baby!

I was at Quicken Loans Arena for a rare Saturday afternoon game with the Cavs. I was there with an old college friend who gave me some choices for games. I told him, "Atlanta", the Hawks having won seven in a row. So, there we were.

We happened to be seated in Loudville. As a matter of fact, I put my seat snobbery away as we were in Row Last. Unfortunately, we were surrounded by Fat Albert to our left and Super Fan to our right. Thankfully, the Cavs were in control from the start and won a game where the game was a lot worse than the score would indicate. But I was able to go to Alesci's fore and aft.

Alesci's? Why, the last time I was there, it was St. Patrick's Day. You may remember St. Patrick's Day. it was one of the bestest March 17ths for weather ever. Upwards of 70 degrees. Unfortunately, I had to work.

But I caught up on drinking as best as I could. I'm pretty sure Best Friend had called me a "lame-o" earlier in the day for not being Downtown. And then, under the spotlight of prosecutorial glare, I admitted U2's new record wasn't very good. I also didn't eat anything. I believe Fun Frank revealed he once drove a car into the Niagara River. And I saw Danny at the end of the day, but did not sing "Danny Boy". And the following day, corned beef that was promised to me was given elsewhere without so much as a warning.

Meal of Links

Matt Taibbi thinks we're fucked. Royally.

One of my favorite movies is "Paris, Texas". I have to see this one again. It's been a while.

Are these people nuts? BTW, after March madness last night, Charlie Rose ran an interview with Natasha Richardson with some prophecy near the end.



Exercise Yard

Every time a lower seed wins in March Madness (a la Cleveland State), I can't help remembering my favorite scene from "Hoosiers".

"Ten Feet"



The first thought after CSU's win last night? "There goes my coat chair."

But what an ass-thumping they put on Wake last night. WF becomes WTF. Typically, when a 13 seed beats a 4, they tend to be tight games or buzzer beaters. But this was as front-running of a game that they could possibly deliver.

Given the opponent and setting, the first half was the best half of basketball they played all season and without doubt, the team's finest hour all year. There were two others this year that were comparable. The first half against Kent and the first half against Loyola.

CSU hit their first three 3-pointers, then hit only three the rest of the game. But the stage was set. Each player who entered the game contributed. Cedric Jackson staying in control. Norris Cole, unflappable as usual. Chris Moore, with CSU rediscovering its high-low game, repeatedly beating the defense down the floor. J'Nathan Bullock with a perfect example of settling into a game, then delivering. George Tandy hustling like I've never seen him. Even Renard Fields, who brain cramped later, drew two offensive fouls. The freshman, Tre Harmon and Jeremy Montgomery delivering solid minutes, as well. As total a team effort as you'll find anywhere.

Don't want to look too critically at the numbers, but CSU hung with Wake on rebounding, with only a 33-32 deficit. 15 assists to Wake's 10. Beautiful floor game with only 6 turnovers. Wake had 18. Wake shot 52% for the game to CSU's 47%. Not too concerned about that number yet, because that was a lot of garbage time last night. Might be the red flag in all of this hoopla, however.

Next up, Arizona tomorrow. The Basket Cats are the team universally derided as not belonging in the tournament. CSU is the lowest seed remaining. And even though it's now a 13-12 matchup, everyone loves the underdog.

Visitor

16 Down: Cuthbert of "24" (6 letters) Answer: Elisha

Since, March Madness has returned, so has March Madness on Demand. The video quality is superb this year. I mean, scary superb.

The hatred of Duke. And homophobia, if you've got it.

Kind of a so-so day picking today. The Upset Special of American over Villanova lasted 35 minutes before falling apart. And I lost BYU and Clemson for down the road, both with really poor efforts. But I did have Western Kentucky and UCLA escaping with wins.

And this is how Memphis planned for their game.

Remember, CSU is on Channel 43 Friday about 9:40 p.m. at the earliest.

Friday's Winners:

Syracuse, Tennessee, Utah State, North Dakota State

Temple, Pittsburgh, Missouri, West Virginia

Louisville, Utah, USC, Portland State

Ohio State, Wake Forest, Michigan State, Florida State

Meal of Links

This series on Nashville is pretty good. It's starting with Johnny Cash. And lookee here. "Behind the Music" returns.

To be Shakespeare or not to be Shakespeare. That is the question.

A superb story on the decline of the Jigsaw Saloon. Very good local reporting, I thought.

Exercise Yard

Finally, this guy has 7 things to hate about this year's March Madness. Even North Dakota State gets a mention.

Visitor

9 Down: San Diego State athletes (6 letters) Answer: Aztecs

Well, it happened. Yes, I was published in the PD this a.m. Sort of. Gale and I had a conversation over the weekend about "Monday Moaning" and "Thankful Thursday" on page A-2. Seemingly, how everyone moans about being thankful. So, we decided to start calling in with bon mots and see if we get any of them picked up.

Tuesday's question was some nonsense about the CSU and OSU game conflicts on Friday. Which one would you watch and why. Of course, this was right up my alley. So, if you read this in the Wednesday PD, you now know where it came from. And, it was on my first attempt!

"To paraphrase Sam Wyche: "You don't live in Columbus, you live in Cleveland!". CSU all the way!"

I feel very humbled at the moment. And don't tell me that's not funny.

Meal of Links

The death of Natasha Richardson is one of the oddest celebrity stories to come along in quite a while. Dying from an accident on a bunny hill is hard to fathom.

Pictures from the recession. This "Big Picture" series from the Boston Globe is always good.

Bob Dylan's port-a-potty stinks. Really bad, apparently.

NBC is starting to defend CNBC. This may be the frontrunner for most backlashes of the year, so far. Springsteen heads to "The Daily Show".

Exercise Yard

The Madness (with Gus Johnson) starts tomorrow.

Thursday's Winners:

Memphis, Purdue, Connecticut

BYU, California, Washington

Texas, Duke

American, UCLA

Butler, Clemson, Oklahoma

North Carolina, Gonzaga, Western Kentucky

Visitor

40 Across: Actor ____ Ray known for macho roles (4 letters) Answer: Aldo

I have been listening more and more to Underground Garage on XM. This is the Little Steven-influenced channel. I had forgot that Kid Leo was spinning records on this channel. He sounds like an older Kid Leo. I know, hard to imagine.

But here's what I heard on the way home today:

"Please No Squeeza Da Banana"/Louis Prima
"Orgasm Addict"/Buzzcocks
"Raw Power"/The Stooges
"St. Valentine's D"/Cocktail Slipper
"Cathy's Clown"/The Everly Brothers
"Lucy in the Sky (with Diamonds)"/The Beatles
"Here Comes Mary"/Raveonettes
"I Wanna Be With You"/The Raspberries

That makes for a solid mix. Hard to figure you'd find that anywhere on terrestrial radio.

Meal of Links

They showed some footage of "Bruno" at South by Southwest over the weekend. Twitter comments. I like that it makes "Borat" look like Kids TV. Uh, I'm there early.

Hey, here's something we haven't heard in what, a week or so? Should "The Office" dump Michael Scott?

You can order bees on the Internets. Bees, I tell ya. for $20.

How some TV shows morphed into something different. Some for the better and some, not so good. "Mannix" and "Dark Shadows" are two oldies mentioned.

Exercise Yard

Another reason why I hate Columbus. The start times for Round One of March Madness came out overnight. BTW, the fastest ever. Anyhow, Ohio State plays Siena in Dayton at the very same time CSU plays Wake Forest in Miami, which is 9:40 on Friday.

So, the bitching and whining has started. Actually, the comments seem to be favoring CSU. But this is really all wasted effort.

Look, CSU is the HOME TEAM here in Cleveland. Channel 19 will be required to show it. End of story. They may put OSU on 43, but CSU will be shown.

I did call CSU this morning. I could have bought tickets. Flights and hotel in Florida without much notice, especially in March, doesn't really work from a financial angle. I'll go to Indy next week, if they get that far.

Visitor

44 Across: Poet Whitman (4 letters) Answer: Walt

This morning, I was watching the FOX outlets, News and Business News. Why watch FOX? For crap like this.

On a FOX Business News rerun:

Obama Supporter: "It's all on the Internet. You can find any earmark in the bill."

FOX Host: "You can't expect anyone to go through 9,000 pages of the bill."

First they complain about not knowing what's in the bill, then when it's pointed out to them that you can find out, they turn the argument to it's too cumbersome or not everyone has access to the Internets. Aaaargh! It pays to know how these doofuses (doofi?) operate.

Then on FOX News this a.m., Mike West, the CEO of BioTime, comes on and talks about stem cells and how you don't need embryonic cells for research, you can use adult cells combined with 4 molecules in some sort of cellular time machine, in effect, bypassing the embryonic stem cell issue. Totally flummoxing the host who wanted to pursue the embryo angle immediately. West hijacked the angle and delivered a monologue on the benefits of stem cells and how precious time was wasted with the previous ban. On FOX News!!! So the host got owned and will be fired soon, I'm sure.

Meal of Links

If you are a city dweller and a Catholic, this weekend was D-Day as the diocese started announcing parish closings yesterday. I understand why some of these parishes had to close. Operating costs, declining neighborhoods, negligible attendance, etc. My old church, Our Lady of Good Counsel, is going to be merged with Corpus Christi, which is just up the road a piece. It has to get a new name though as Our Lady Christi of Good Corpus Counsel won't cut it. I wonder if they'll have a naming rights contest? Perhaps booking your passage to heaven if you win.

But, all kidding aside, it's really torturous to see some of the churches that were picked for closing. These are churches you may not have attended, but have known about or seen all of your life. St. Colman's down on 65th. Never been in it, but even I know on St. Patrick's, it's a big deal there. And when you come home using 65th as your route, it is magnificent to see that beautiful structure lit up on a summer night. A shining beacon in the night. Very sad.

Same with St. Ignatius on Lorain and West Boulevard, another one of those lit up at night. Truly stunning that it will close, as it seemed to be thriving. Man, St. Procop's down on 41st is 145 years old!! Gone. It looks like Downtown, they are funneling everyone to St. John's, eschewing St. Peter's, a popular parish, and a second one. While St. Malachi's made the cut, one other Downtown location should have survived. St. Patrick's in West Park. Gone. But St. Pat's on Bridge, another fine structure, will stay open. Maybe that's where the Irish can relocate. Slavic Village seems to be in turmoil over their closings. Have they given up on that neighborhood? And all the Hungarians now have to go to Buckeye? Really?

Let's hope when they close, the city can protect these buildings from the vandals. That's a lot of property to just sit there. Here is the list.

Social networking is the new e-mail. And, no, I am not on Twitter.

Joe Biden can now take Amtrak to Home Depot. Not really, but Amtrak gets a a bunch of cash.

Two funny things I've seen recently: "South Park"--"She's a notorious whore...". And Will Farrell's George Bush stage play. BTW, I think Edward Norton was sitting next to that Shakespearean scholar in the nickname portion.

Exercise Yard

I was down at CSU for the March Madness Selection Party. CBS wasted no time with CSU, as they were in one of the first brackets revealed. They drew a #13 seed against #4 Wake Forest. The game will be Friday in Miami. Wake was ranked Number One at least once this year, maybe twice.

Early thoughts:

If CSU can play a zone, they have a shot. Much like CSU, Wake's fatal flaw is their inconsistent outside shooting. Maryland slapped a zone on Wake in the ACC Tournament and defeated them, as Wake shot 29% on 22 of 74 for the game, and hit only 3-25 on threes.

If Wake can run or get us in the man-to-man with better shooting, it may be a short run for the Vikings. Depth inside will play a big role, as Wake is probably going to try and jam it inside and that's where that zone can help. Another plus is that Wake is a young team.

On paper, it looks like a not-so-good matchup. Between the lines, it's a winnable game.

BTW, I still haven't been contacted about tickets. I guess that's my responsibility to find out or maybe I'm not even close on the priority list. Besides, CSU wins two and they play in Indy next week.

At the gathering, Coach Waters assured us that winning the Horizon League Tournament was not their goal. He also had each team member and coach introduce themselves and say where they were from. If you watched STO, you saw what a fine group of guys are on the team.

The brackets are here.

Visitor

None, it's a sunny Selection Sunday.

Happy Pi Day!

I went to the CSU Bookstore this morning and try and navigate that coming from East 30th. You have to avoid a bus lane, do a legal U-turn, then make sure you get in the correct unmarked lot. If you screw up like I did, you have to go back up to Prospect, over the highway, then back down 22nd to Euclid again. And then park in the correct lot.

BTW, I realize it's the weekend, but I didn't see too many people waiting for buses on Euclid.

There is some good local stuff though. I cooked a brisket today from Dave's Mercado that I had layin' around. Bueno!

Good fish fry at the Parma Tavern last night. Perch for $9.95 and Cod for $6.95. Tried the Union House, but they were way crowded.

Meal of Links

Time to catch up on some items:

Jack White has a new band, The Dead Weather that has an All-Star feel to it. The Kills, Queens of the Stone Age and The Raconteurs all represented. I love that Gary Numan cover, "Are Friends Electric?"

How long can McFaul still be Sheriff? I say by next Friday, he's out.

An interesting take on Jim Cramer vs. Jon Stewart. That was unbelievable television.

The current newspaper model is broken. And will not be fixed, but be replaced.

Another article on what has happened to the Food Network? This stuff started when Mario and Sara Moulton got the boot.

"How to Buy A New Car...For The Best Price"



A look at the inside of abandoned schools in Detroit. It just makes you sick.

TV spies and secret agents. Obviously, "The Avengers" is here. And "The Equalizer"! I loved that show and we get the opening credits in the included clip. And "The Prisoner (not the Caviezel one)" takes No. 1.

Exercise Yard

The New York Times revisits the 1986 CSU basketball team. It's a trip down memory lane.

Visitor

20 Across: Legendary track star (10 letters) Answer: Seabiscuit

Well, it's a day later and I still cannot get over how CSU kept fighting in last night's win over Butler. It's a great feeling to at least have some sort of rooting interest here. Oh, and if it's doable, meaning a venue nearby (or maybe somewhat nearby), I would not mind getting a ticket. Right now, all signs point to Boise.

My Dad and I spent some time earlier in the day watching the MAC Tournament at Quicken. Early round matchups meaning no bands and no cheerleaders. Pretty sterile environment. We saw mainly the Kent-Northern Illinois game. Wow, how that league has deteriorated. Especially when the champ is projected to be a 16 seed. Gulp!

Meal of Links

The real story behind St. Patrick's Day. Of course, it was started by Guinness.

It's a portion planner. What type of food, how many eating, how much you'll need.

Some people insist Led Zeppelin played a concert in Wheaton, MD in 1969. Others call bullshit.

CBS might cut some familiar shows. That means "Cold Case" and "Without A Trace". I have never watched "Cold Case". I saw Anthony LaPaglia throw a chair through an office window in an episode of "Trace" about his divorce. And one where Martin Landau was his Dad. I think. Maybe it was the same one.

Funny Mitch Hedberg quotes.

This is why you go to university-sponsored lectures and panels. Seymour Hersh tells an audience at the University of Minnesota that Dick Cheney ran an executive assassination ring. Can you imagine sitting there, checking your watch, counting ceiling tiles and then that bombshell drops in and says, "Hey you, wake up!".

This guy figured it out. Soccer is ruining America. And I was watching Barcelona-Lyon in the Champions League tonight.

Exercise Yard

The demise of Peter Pocklington. I think he was known as "Peter Puck" for a while.

Visitor

24 Across: Mathis classic (5 letters) Answer: "Misty"

"Misty"/Johnny Mathis

Finally! We haven't raised many trophies around here lately, have we?

So, I'm watchin' "Family Guy" last night. The title of the episode is "Family Gay" and you can imagine what happened next. Or maybe not. You see, Peter got injected with the "Gay Gene". This was after he got also injected with the "Squirrel Gene" and then the "Seth Rogen Gene". Anyhow, I laughed a lot during this episode and now the gay community is kinda up in arms about it. Remember, it's only a cartoon.

Here's Peter at "Straight Camp":



Meal of Links

A report that appeared on time.com lists 10 newspapers that are endangered. The Plain Dealer is predicted to fail by the end of 2010. Their publisher says, "Poppycock!".

Esquire has another list. This one is 75 albums you must own. I'll show you my copy of "Imperial Bedroom" someday, a classic. Even "True Stories' made the cut and I agree, very underrated. Oddly enough, I listened to Townes Van Zandt playing "Pancho and Lefty" just yesterday. And, at one time, I had memorized "Look Sharp" by Joe Jackson and I bet I could still sing along with 75% of it today. And 30 glaring omissions from the list.

More Twitter celebrities. And, no, I am still not on it.

I saw something on NBC Nightly News this evening about a place in Denver called the Same Cafe. What an uplifting story.

Denver's Same Cafe from NBC

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Exercise Yard

Stephen Curry in this year's March Madness? Think again.

Visitor

34 Down: Rock guitarist Mann (5 letters) Answer: TEXT

Last night, CSU beat Wisconsin-Green Bay to set up a return match against Butler in the Horizon League Championship Game on Tuesday night. You wanna look smart watching that game and impress your friends and neighbors. The game will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse, you know, where they filmed "Hoosiers". Since, the bandwagon will be filling up with a win, here's your handy-dandy guide to CSU basketball.

Coach Gary Waters: Waters was the guy who put Kent State basketball on the map starting in 1996. Kent had two NCAA appearances and an NIT visit to the quarters before he left in 2001. Then he went to Rutgers where he had three NIT bids, one where they got to the title game. This is his third year at CSU winning 10, then 22 (with an NIT bid) and now 25 games this season.

CSU plays a fairly deliberate style of basketball, where mental fitness coupled with superior physical conditioning helps win ballgames. At times, it can be pretty ugly to watch. I've seen them described as the "Julio Cesar Chavez of college basketball" and I think that's an apt term for the grinding style they play. This is a far cry from Kevin Mackey's Run-n-Stun teams of the late '80s.

They usually go only 8 or 9 deep, so I'll describe the guys who will see playing time Tuesday.

J'Nathan Bullock, Senior Forward: Bullock is the "guy with the dreads" and an all-league selection. He has started virtually every game since he arrived at CSU four years ago. A hard worker, who can score from most places on the floor. A very good rebounder and is the team's heart and soul. Although he has had some trouble lately from the foul line, he is vastly improved from his freshman year where he shot 58% from the line. A for-certain CSU Hall of Famer down the road and I would not be opposed to seeing his number retired, especially if future CSU success is plotted back to his tenure here. Not sure about his hoops future, but may become the next Antonio Gates of the NFL.

Cedric Jackson, Senior Guard: A transfer from St. John's, Jackson has played only two seasons at CSU. He is the Defensive Player of the Year in the Horizon League. He has an uncanny ability to steal the basketball and is known as a "stat sheet stuffer". But it's been a frustrating year to watch him this season, although he has been turning it on down the stretch. His assists and rebounding were up this year and his turnovers down. But all of his shooting stats (threes, foul shooting and overall shooting percentage) were down significantly. Although during the Horizon League Tournament, his foul shooting has been money. Be aware that he can make some really poor decisions while running the team. Mainly bad passes or giving a teammate the ball where he can do absolutely nothing with it.

Norris Cole, Sophomore Guard: I absolutely love this guy. Has the right temperament, never seems to get down and is probably the most consistent player on the team. From venerable Dayton Dunbar. This year has developed into a solid scoring option with a nice floater. Can play inside or out and handles the ball nicely. CSU was the only Division I school to offer him a scholarship and he was getting significant minutes early on as a freshman. A real find for the team.

D'Aundray Brown, Sophomore Guard: Not the Defensive Player of the Year, but is easily the team's best defender. The guy who can score the best on the other team is his defensive assignment and he usually shuts him down. Currently out with a hyperextended knee, he's a very important piece to the puzzle. He was out for several games midseason and CSU stunk while he was gone. Has also developed into a decent scoring option. Most definitely my favorite player on the team.

Chris Moore, Senior Center: Moore is a St. Ed's player who transferred from UC-Santa Barbara and has played two seasons. He was always a step slow last year and was threatening to leave the program after last season. But he shed some pounds this year and seems to be enjoying himself this year. Commits some fairly obvious fouls at times, has a nice shot, but doesn't shoot all that much.

George Tandy, Senior Forward: George was my favorite whipping boy last year. He had some athletic ability, but just didn't seem to care all that much, and he's a pretty quiet guy. He has developed into a player, when right, can make some very good contributions to the cause. Not a great rebounder, but the ball seems to end up in his hands quite a bit. Had an awesome dunk on a putback in Saturday's game. Both his father, who attends all the games, and his mother have cancer.

Renard Fields, Senior Center: Doesn't get much playing time, but another favorite of mine. Injured quite often, but I believe he is the hardest worker on the team. Always plays tough, draws fouls, shoots foul shots horribly but never fails to go all out. If he had been healthy all these years, it may have been different for him.

Tre Harmon, Freshman Guard: Harmon is from California and has benefited from playing some decent minutes this year. As soon as he was eligible in December, he got minutes right away. Mainly known as a scorer coming in, his defense has picked up over the last six weeks. You can tell he is a gymrat from the way he handles the ball and carries himself on the court. It's obvious he has logged many hours with a basketball.

Jeremy Montgomery, Freshman Guard: Another freshman, he is from Chicago. Early on, he got some significant minutes and had a great game against Syracuse. Since then, he has had inconsistent minutes. Can shoot and handles the ball reasonably well. Probably the only guy on the team who smiles a lot while he is playing. Future looks good for him and his brother is transferring in next year, as well.

What CSU Does Well:

Excellent floor game.
Superior defense.
Physical conditioning.
Mental toughness.
Won't quit.

Fatal Flaws:

Outside shooting.
Foul shooting.

The Butler Matchup:

I give the Vikings a fairly good shot at winning on Tuesday. Butler is in March Madness, regardless of the outcome, and CSU has lost twice to them this season. The first was on a three-pointer at the buzzer way back in December at the Bart. The second, just 8 days ago, at Butler by 2 points. It is very difficult to beat a team three times in one season at any sport, but that's what Butler faces this week.

There should be no surprises as these two teams have played very tight games the last two seasons, with CSU winning only one of five. But this is the 4th game CSU will have played at Butler in the last 11 days, even more than Butler in the same time period. So, I believe the familiar surroundings (hotel, floor, locker room, Hinkle Fieldhouse environment) will help immensely with game preparation.

I think CSU will prevail in a tight one. And then I get to go dancin'.

Meal of Links

The publicist for the OctoMom has had an epiphany. "This woman is nuts."

"You've got to want the president to succeed. You're irrational if you don't want the president to succeed. Because if he doesn't succeed the country doesn't succeed...". The person who said that? Newt Gingrich.

Big Music will finally give up the ghost. But not for a few years.

Exercise Yard

I still love Manny Ramirez.

Upon seeing outfielder Matt Kemp appear in the clubhouse at 8:30 a.m., according to MLB.com, Ramirez called out, "You're late. I was here at 6:30."

"I was here three weeks ago," Kemp retorted.

Now, that's funny!

In case you missed the ESPN article on Shin-Soo Choo.

Visitor

None, on a rainy Sunday.

You know the guy who, the day after the Celtics beat the Cavs in a big game, wears his Celtics jersey the following day? I hate that guy.

Let's catch up:

There is going to be a Marmaduke movie. Pssst! Here's the plot, he's a big dog. I just saved you the price of a ticket.

The Flaming Lips and Arcade Fire seem to be at odds.

The Economist says legalize drugs again.

Keep the kids out of the effin' kitchen!

Sports editors consider sharing content.

Alec Baldwin starts co-hosting "The Essentials" on Turner Classic.

How to get strength like Bruce Lee.

Robert Reich says blaming Obama for the decline of Wall Street is absurd.

The health risks of Daylight Savings Time.

"Frank TV" got cancelled.

This dude has mad skills in his hands:

World Builder


World Builder from Bruce Branit on Vimeo.

Meal of Links

I always got a kick from "Femme Fatale". I actually watched it again a few weeks ago. DePalma movies are always fun to look at. And Rebecca Romijn looks very good here.

Check out the new HD channels coming to Time Warner soon. ESPNews, CNBC, MLB, Animal Planet, Sci-Fi, USA, Discovery, Bravo, TLC, Disney, Palladia (MTV) and ABC Family.

How Art Garfunkel landed on "Flight of the Conchords". "Garfunkling". Tee hee.

Exercise Yard

No one breaks down hoops like Charley Rosen. Here's his Celtics-Cavs wrapup.

Visitor

38 Across: Familiar pointer (8 letters) Answer: Uncle Sam

"The Uncler"

This woman took a foul ball to the face at yesterday's Tribe game:







































That's gotta hurt.

Meal of Links

You can study The Beatles and get a degree. Peace and love.

One of my all-time favorite shows returns. So incredibly stupid, but so funny at the same time. It's "Super Dave Osborne".

Super Dave's Fast Food Joint



One thing about The New Yorker is they can run some long articles. Get ready. Here's a brilliant tome on David Foster Wallace.

It's Michael Lewis again. This time on Iceland.

Exercise Yard

The story of the NFL players lost at sea is pretty gutwrenching. They allegedly just gave up all hope.

Visitor

25 Down: Jessica of "7th Heaven" (4 letters) Answer: Biel

Today is the 71st birthday of the Sausage Shoppe. I was just there this past Saturday. After not going there for a while, I have been visiting about once a month for the last few. Two things I noticed quickly. Not as crowded as it once was and prices have clearly gone up. But the quality of the food there is still superb.

We gotta support the locals.

Meal of Links

Vanity Fair profiles "Comedy's New Legends". Danny McBride who was so good in "Pineapple Express" and "Tropic Thunder" makes an appearance.

Will Shortz talks about, what else?, puzzles. Including KenKen.

What is the ideal number of friends? Average number is about 150.

David Simon talks about covering the police in Baltimore. Things have changed since he had that beat.

Calling Tim Geitner.

Hey, was that an asteroid? Yep, without much warning, too.

What do you think about that new Pepsi logo? I'm not sure yet, just bring on those Throwbacks.

Maurice Clarett has a blog. Seriously. It sounds like his new job will be preaching.

Exercise Yard

We actually had a Horizon League tournament in town tonight, sponsored by the good folks at Speedway. My Dad and I were part of a crowd of 1988 who watched Cleveland State take on the Titans of Detroit. And since it was the post-season, Detroit brought the full compliment of band (in the section next to us), dance team and cheerleader squad

And since it was Detroit, that called for another ugly game. In two previous games, CSU kept them in the 40s, and that was the case again tonight. It's just a struggle to play them because of their walk-it-up style of play on offense and physical defense. But they are extremely offensively-challenged. In the first half, Detroit had no three-pointers nor any offensive rebounds, but they outshot CSU 41% to 31% and only trailed by 2.

In the second half, Cleveland State shot much better at 48% and that was really the difference. Detroit had 1 three, 3 offensive rebounds and 0 fast break points for the game and shot 36% for the game.

There you have it. CSU wins, 56-43 in what may be the last home game this season. On to Indy to continue league tournament play this weekend.

Visitor

41 Across: Immortal slugger Hank (5 letters) Answer: Aaron

Paul Harvey died yesterday. I gotta say, I didn't like his politics, but I was a fan of the old coot. He used to be on at 8:25 or 8:30 in the a.m and had a longer 15-minute read around Noon, I believe. And, of course, there was "The Rest of the Story". It's really quite weird that he was probably one of the few voices you heard as a kid that was still on the radio this century.

I know he was still on several stations nationally, but 1100 put him out to pasture a few years ago when they switched to Fox Radio. Syndicated radio programs made it difficult to find a spot for him. But I always liked the way he read his commercials for Wal-Mart "You couldn't ask for a better neighbor." and Citracal "The cit is for citrus, the cal is for calcium. Ci...tra-cal." And, of course, "True-Value."

“Paul Harvey......Good Day!”

Meal of Links

They have found the Garden of Eden. Well, maybe. Regardless, a great archaeological find.

Why hair goes gray. And it has nothing to do with local sports.

Here is a free Allstate-sponsored one-day pass to Sam's Club. And they'll waive the normal non-member 10% surcharge. Might be worth checking out.

How Obama is framing the narrative of the reforms he wants to promote. Everyone is on notice.

Exercise Yard

I was seeking out some Indians tickets yesterday. What surprised me is the best seats in the house are actually half price for 12 games (including the Boston series) in April and May. I think they finally got the message that a filled seat at any price is better than an empty one.

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None, it's Sunday.